AI Simulation, AFG vs BAN ODIs | Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran power Afghanistan past hapless Bangladesh

Last Monday at 11:43 PM

As per Artificial Intelligence, Afghanistan will beat Bangladesh by five wickets in the third and final ODI in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Leg-spinner Rashid Khan will continue his exploits from the previous game with a four-wicket spell, while Ibrahim Zadran will seal the chase with a composed fifty.

‌Pitch & Weather

The Abu Dhabi surface looked dry and abrasive, but batting looked easier in the first half. The batters found it difficult to play their strokes as the pitch deteriorated and spin came into play later in the game, but Afghanistan managed to go past a modest total.

The weather was hot (36°C), with dry air and minimal wind, recreating the classic desert conditions.

Toss & Conditions

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first.

Lineups

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Nangeyalia Kharote, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Bashir Ahmad.

Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (c), Jaker Ali, Nurul Hasan (wk), Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.

Match Report

Afghanistan continued their strong ODI form and completed a clean sweep over Bangladesh with a confident five-wicket victory in Abu Dhabi. The side was powered by Rashid Khan’s brilliant four-wicket haul with the ball and Ibrahim Zadran’s mature innings at the top of the order during the chase.

After choosing to bat first at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Bangladesh got off to a cautious start as Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan found little rhythm on a turning surface. Rashid’s introduction in the 11th over tilted the game in Afghanistan’s favour. The leg spinner removed Najmul Hossain Shanto and Saif Hassan in quick succession. He later came back into the attack to account for Towhid Hridoy, who hit six fours and a six to top-score for the Tigers with 67. Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz chipped in with a useful 42, but the lower order could not add any meaningful contributions. For the third time in the series, the Tigers underwent a collapse to slide from 178/4 to 216 all out with 14 balls to spare. Rashid was the pick among the Afghanistan bowlers with an impressive spell of 4/28 in 9.4 overs, while Azmatullah Omarzai’s pace accounted for three wickets.

In reply, openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran carefully negotiated the new ball to lay the foundation of the chase with a 71-run opening stand. Though Gurbaz departed for 41 off 58 balls, a knock which included four fours and a six, Rahmat Shah supported Zadran with a valuable knock. The opener hit six fours and a six during his fluent 77 in 99 balls to anchor the chase beautifully before skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Omarzai took the side to 217/5 with more than five overs to spare. The Tigers’ skipper Mehidy Hasan bowled with heart, removing Gurbaz and Atal in his spell of 2/38 in 10 overs, but Afghanistan never looked in trouble.

Player of the Match

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan was named Player of the Match for his match-winning 4/28 that dismantled Bangladesh’s middle order.

Scorecard

AI Simulation, AFG vs BAN | Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran shine as Afghanistan complete whitewash with clinical five-wicket win in Abu Dhabi.
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